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​Hello Papabear!
 
First I want to say how much I have enjoyed reading through your past letters and responses. The advice you give helped me answer a lot of questions that were arising inside of me.

Well, recently I came to the conclusion that I wanted to be part of the furry community. I'd always had a touch of furry inside of me, knowing about the top webcomics like Kevin and Kell, Fur Will Fly, and The Class Menagerie. I've always loved anthros, coming more from the Disney and Sci-Fi school of thought like the OG generation, and my favorite novel series are Brian Jacques "Redwall" books, which were a huge influence on me wanting to be a writer. 

I didn't keep up with pursuing the fandom in high school sadly. It wasn't the perceived social stigma, so much as I was not aware of anyone else I could talk with about the fandom and my interest laid dormant from graduation, through college, and through post collegiate life. I did encounter furs in college, but they were more ... exclusive, we will say ... about who they accepted and once again my interest retreated back inside.

Well, a couple months ago I befriended several people with ties to a different fandom who happen to be furries and I found myself remembering my old interest and fun at the anthro art and comics. I started diving a little deeper than I had since I was a kid, and learned about many top people in the community, and even for the first time discovering there is a literary side to it that is as healthy as the art. This intrigued me a lot...I've always fashioned myself as a writer, and even though I have a degree in photography too writing was my first love but it fell away, as no new ideas came to me and I fell into a creative funk that became mild depression. Couple that with anxiety disorder in a high-stress work place, the depressive nature of the news, and other factors in my personal life, and I consider my furry friends lifesavers for my sanity and creativity. I found that spark again to write and currently am having my first go at an anthro story. I have a novel outlined I'd like to attempt to but I'm digressing from the main point.

My question is that I'm ready to accept my furriness and embrace it, but will I be thought of as another "wannabe" trying to be something they're not? I'm still terrified after the snub I got in college that coming into the community after being an outsider for so long I'll be looked at as some sort of poseur (no fursona to speak of and not yet a member of any furry social media). The fandom is something I want to involve myself in and be part of the community and bring what talents I have to help keep it alive. The friends I do have have been accepting, which gives me hope that once I make myself known more, that those fears will fall away. But in the back of my mind, I still have those self-sabotaging doubts.

Thank you in advance for reading this and I hope I was not a rambling bore. 

Best regards and best of health,

Rakkety Tam (age 29)
 
* * *
 
Hi, Rakkety Tam (love that name—how’d you come up with it?),
 
I completely understand this letter in many ways. As a writer myself, for example, I get what you are going through in attempting your first novel. I also understand the fear of not being accepted by the furry community, especially as an older furry. The times I’ve been to the Prancing Skiltaire party, for example, I felt like the complete outsider because it was nothing but young people (well, couple of older ones, including the hosts, of course) and they already had their cliques and all that. I stopped going for that reason. It’s also why I started the Facebook Greymuzzle Group for furries 30 and older (contact us on your next birthday) so that older furries could chat with each other more comfortably.
 
That said, two things are true here (in my experience): as a whole, the fandom is accepting of pretty much anyone, regardless of age, sexual preference, nationality, race, religion, etc. etc. However, it is also true that local groups of furries form, and each group can have its own microculture. Sometimes that culture is open and accepting, sometimes it is elitist and cliquish. A lot of this depends on who becomes the “leader” of the group. Their character as people will generally define the nature of the group they run. I’ve had people write to me at this column singing the praises of their local furry groups, while others feel completely ostracized by theirs. That group you met in college was not one of the better ones, apparently.
 
Just because you had a bad experience there, though, doesn’t mean it’s like that everywhere in the fandom. Indeed, I would say the bad groups are in the minority. You yourself note that while that college furry group was not so inviting your other furry friends have been “life savers.” You just need to keep socializing with more furries and establishing your furiends network, which will evolve over time.
 
You’re not a “wannabe” at all, Rakkety. Indeed, in my experience it is more common to see younger furs who are poseurs and who later drop out of the fandom because they just did it to try something different. It’s the same reason many young people do things like coloring their hair purple or getting a nose piercing. They are trying to find themselves and their creativity, but this period ends for many people who become “adults” and drop their furry pursuits because they are “childish.” Probably way over half of the under-20 furries you see now will not be involved in the fandom after they get regular jobs and start raising families and paying taxes and worrying about their mortgages or rent.
 
If you are still a furry in your late 20s, 30s, 40s and onward, you are hardcore in my book. You are furry for life, not just because it’s cool or outrageous, but because you have a furry soul. Papabear considers you a furry in my book. And, even if I didn’t, who cares? You aren’t a furry to please other people but to please yourself. So, enjoy the art, the comics, the books, and good luck with your writing! (I’d love to see it!)
 
You’ll make friends, don’t worry.
 
Bear Hugs,
Papabear

More how-did-we-miss-this? stuff. From Aftershock Comics (a new company, at least to us!) comes Animosity, written by Marguerite Bennett and illustrated in full color by Rafael de Latorre and Rob Schwager. “One day, the Animals woke up. They started thinking. They started talking. They started taking revenge. Now, a dog and his girl are trying to get away–out of New York City, and all the way to San Francisco, to the only person who might be able to protect and save her. From the writer of Insexts, A-Force, and Bombshells, and the artist of Superzero, comes a new kind of road trip, a new kind of black comedy, and a new kind of coming-of-age.” Aftershock has sample pages at their web site. The first issues are already on the shelves.

image c. 2016 Aftershock

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New members

Welcome to our newest members: Bruno Schafer, Jako Malan, and Stephen Coglan! In addition, welcome Sean and Andrew Rabbitt–perhaps better known as Rabbit Valley–to the FWG as associates! If you’re not a member of the Guild and you’d like more information about joining, read our membership guidelines.

Member news

Tor Books has bought the sequel to Lawrence M. Schoen’s Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard. In addition, Les Editions de L’Instant has bought the French language translation rights for Barsk.

Thurston Howl Publications released Wolf Warriors III: Winter Wolves, the third edition of their charity anthology in support of the National Wolfwatcher Coalition. It includes works by, among others, Alice Dryden, Amy Fontaine, Renee Carter Hall, Bill Kieffer, BanWynn Oakshadow, Frances Pauli, and Televassi.

Madison Keller’s Flower’s Fang is now available as an audiobook.

Donald Jacob Uitvlugt’s short story “In the Days of the Witch-Queens,” originally published in the Menagerie of Heroes charity anthology, is now available as a 99¢ ebook on Amazon.

Fred Patten published a large article on The State of Furry Publishing on Dogpatch Press.

New markets

• Speaking of Lawrence Schoen, his press, Paper Golem LLC, is accepting submissions of novellas (20,000 to 40,000 words) for the fourth volume of the novella anthology series Alembical. Submission guidelines.

For ongoing markets previously covered but still open (and occasionally, open in the future), visit the FWG web site:

• Paying short story markets
• Non-paying short story markets
• Novel/novella markets

Remember to keep an eye on the Calls for Submissions thread on the forum, as well as other posts on the Publishing and Marketing forum.

Furry Book Month!

October is Furry Book Month! The Furry Writers’ Guild has joined forces with some of our fandom’s great authors and publishers to offer special deals during the month. Visit the Furry Book Month page for more details and links to deals, talk about the books you’re reading on the FWG Forum, and make sure to leave a review of what you’re reading on Amazon or Goodreads—it really helps! Follow along on social media with the tag #FurryBookMonth.

Odds and ends

The Tuesday Coffeehouse Chats continue to take place on the FWG Slack channel, while the Thursday chats continue to take place on the shoutbox. There’s some discussion of moving the Thursday chats, too, or going to just one chat a week—if you’d like to weigh in, visit the forum. Visit the forum anyway.

As usual, we’d like to keep recruiting you to the FWG Goodreads group: add things to our members’ bookshelf (see the instructions here on how to do that), start conversations, indoctrinate people.

The FWG blog desperately needs more love. If you would like to love it, consider writing a guest post. See our guidelines for the details.

Have a terrific (furry book) month! Send news, suggestions, feedback, and spare hashtags to furwritersguild@gmail.com, or leave a comment below.

Recently discovered: A new full-color comic book series from Action Lab called Monty the Dinosaur. “For millions of years he has walked among us in the shadows–Monty, the last living dinosaur! The first million or so were okay, but now Monty is lonely.  He wants a friend. He has tried and tried, but no one will play with him. He is a terrifying T-Rex, after all. Enter Sophie, a ten year old girl that likes people for who they are. Follow the unlikeliest of friendships in Action Lab’s newest hit all-ages series, Monty the Dinosaur!” It’s written by Bob Frantz and illustrated by Jean Franco. There’s a preview at Pop Culture HQ.

image c. 2016 Action Lab

IDW Publishing take Disney Comics to a whole new place with the first (#0) full-color issue of Duck Avenger. “It’s the start of a most-wanted Disney superhero epic! When Scrooge McDuck buys mysterious, ultra-hi-tech Ducklair Tower, Donald sneaks onto a forgotten floor — and as Duck Avenger, finds an amazing AI sending him into a breathless space alien battle!” It seems that Duck Avenger (written by Alessandro Sisti and Ezio Sisto, with art by Alberto Lavoradori) has been a phenomenon in Europe for some time. Now Jonathan Gray has helpfully adapted it for North American audiences. Issue #0 is out now, and IDW has more on issue #1, hitting stores later this month.

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

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This episode comes to you from Shiva's patio, with guest appearances by hookah noise and Shiva's doggo at least once. We've got a whole handful of emails this week due to missing last, and we discuss rent splits, drinks we like, not having a fursona, and how to talk to girls~ We've hit $75 an episode on the Patreon! If you'd like to contribute, join us at www.patreon.com/knotcast October is Furry Book Month! Read more here: https://baddogbooks.com/?p=7223 Episode 328 - They're Good Dogs, Brent

This October, we’re raising the profile of anthropomorphic literature and bringing furry stories to a wider audience.

The Furry Writers’ Guild has joined forces with some of our fandom’s great authors and publishers to offer special deals during the month, from free shipping and discount codes to free books.

If you don’t read furry fiction, take advantage of the special offers and try a furry book in October.

Already a reader? Give a book to a friend, try a new author, or write a book review. Reviews on Amazon and Goodreads needn’t be long, and really help authors. Got lots to say? Submit a review to [a][s], Flayrah, Dogpatch Press, or Claw & Quill.

What will you do this Furry Book Month? Spread the word on social media using #FurryBookMonth!

Visit furrywritersguild.com/furry-book-month/ for the list of offers.

Furry Book Month logo by Ultrafox

We're kind drunk. We talk Cocktober, the Presidential debate, and all sorta nonsense. Enjoy! Reminder: We're on Patreon! If you could kick us a buck or two, we'd greatly appreciate it. www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow ALSO, we're not just on SoundCloud, you can also subscribe to this on most podcast services like iTunes! Don't forget to hang out in our telegram chat, now w/ over 100 members!telegram.me/draggetshow Lastly, don't forget to check out our YouTube, where we have many extra vids, Dragget Plays, and live streams & recordings of the podcasts. ep 138 - Cocktober - We're kind drunk. We talk Cocktober, the Preside…

By far one of the oddest things we came across at Long Beach Comic Con was the world of Cy the Elephart. (Look, people, we don’t make this stuff up — We’d be a whole lot richer if we could!) Created by a trio of “phartists” (their term), Denise Saffren, Paul Schoepflin, and Becky Mann have brought us a friendly and fun-loving elephant who loves nothing more than to break wind. And, apparently, to do so in some very prettily-painted environments. We’re not saying it’ll make more sense, but you’ll see just how busy these folks have been with this project when you visit the official Cy web site. And yes, they have a book project in the works and lots of Cy goodies for sale.

image c. 2016 CyTheElephart.com

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Hi, Papabear.

I'll make it simple. I'm interested by murrsuiting. 

I find the texture of faux fur so... relaxing and so cuddly. And don't get me started on the big eyes, the colors and the cheerful personality the wearers often take while in suit. 

The thing is, I cannot help but feel uneasy when having those fantasies.

I see so many furs who do like all this fandom is about sex, who say that every furry is into kink. Who complain because they cannot buy Bad Dragon stuff at Anthrocon. I often see them online or in some very not necessery interactions with the media.

I hate those people. I often complain that some talentful artists produce a lot more of porn than SFW stuff because that is what people are paying for. 

Yet, I have what most people would consider the most stereotypical trait of a furry.

I know that I am not a freak. I wouldn't never force it on anybody, I would never bring something that has touch body fluids to a con, out of respect for the other attendees. 

But I cannot help but feel inconfortable with this fetish. I know it's because I associate it with a part of the fandom I don't like ( the Furcons-are-big-orgies kind) I know that there is probably a lot of very respectable( and respectful) people in this fandom who own a murrsuit, it just that they keep it in the bedroom where it belongs.

I just wanna stop making this association automatically. I know that there is a difference between having a wet dream involving a cute bunny girl and been an asshole who ruins the fun ( and the innocence) for a lot of furries. 

So basically, I'm tired of feeling like a freak for liking something that hurts nobody.

Anonymous

* * *

​Hi, Furiend,

I see, you feel guilty because you think having some sexual activity in an anatomically correct murrsuit. Well, let Papabear say this about that: people should be free to do what they wish to do in the privacy of their own bedrooms (or other private place of your choice) between consenting adults. The only thing that is really bothersome about people's sexual activities is when they either shove it in your face (Papabear finds twerking in public offensive, for example—I'm sure many young people will disagree with me—because I find overt, slutty public displays hurt my eyes) or when people assert that the only appropriate sex is missionary style between a man and woman for the purpose or procreation only (or, indeed, if they insist on any particular sexual practices and say that any others are sinful or illegal or otherwise not permissible).

​What these people don't tell you is that most of them are probably engaging in very kinky stuff in private and then pretending, in public, that they are clean-cut and straight-laced (how many stories have we seen in which anti-LGBT ministers or Congressmen get caught with their paws in the cookie jar?). You might have heard about the novel (and movie adaptation) 50 Shades of Grey. It's a movie about kinky bondage sex. A book with very little literary merit, it was a bestseller and popular film because why? Because people who won't admit it are fascinated by kinky sex, that's why.

So, first of all, hon, the people you are worried about judging you are probably doing things equally or more kinky than you. Either that, or they are having boring sex and are envious of you for doing something fun. In other words, their opinions are not worth listening to. I have some considerable experience in this area, and I can tell you there are many kinks and fetishes far more bizarre than a murrsuit. In fact, a murrsuit is rather tame compared to a few things I have heard and seen.

Papabear agrees with you 100% when you say "I'm tired of feeling like a freak for liking something that hurts nobody." So, stop feeling like a freak. You're doing it to yourself, you know. Get a murrsuit. Have fun. Don't feel guilty about it because that will simply spoil the experience.

Hugs,
Papabear

Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Fracture, by Hugo Jackson. Map.
Derby, England, UK, Inspired Quill Publishing, September 2016, trade paperback $12.99 (ix + 327 pages), Kindle $3.99.

Fracture is Book 2 of The Resonance Tetralogy. I opened my review of Legacy, Book 1, with the statement: “The map of Eeres on pages iv and v shows only a few land masses amidst many oceans and seas; the result of a prehistoric cataclysm 2,500 years earlier. Millions were killed, the whole world was reshaped, and the few survivors were too desperately trying to survive to keep any civilization or record of the past. All that remained, when a new civilization began to come together centuries later, were legends of a glorious, hardly believable past, and of the unknown disaster that had destroyed it. And a name – Nazreal – of the only city from that forgotten past known (or believed) to have existed for sure.” The map is on pages viii and ix in Fracture, but otherwise it’s still good background.

Full disclosure: my review of Legacy is quoted in “Praise for Hugo Jackson”: “Legacy is very satisfying. Jackson brings a complex and colorful anthro world to life. His descriptions are full of lush detail.”

Fracture begins shortly after Legacy’s end, and while the Prologue is very dramatic, you really should read Legacy first. (Fortunately, it’s still available.) The walled multi-animal city/state/kingdom (Jackson uses the obsolete term “sovereign”) of Xayall, besieged and almost completely destroyed by the evil reptiles of Dhraka, is rebuilding. Xayall’s fox Emperor Aidan is dead, and his young daughter Faria, the on-the-run protagonist of Legacy, is in its hospital recovering. Chapter One is somber:

“Xayall itself […] still held hints of the vibrant life it harboured before its ordeal under Dhrakan claws. Teams of soldiers and civilians worked diligently to clear the streets, and many smaller buildings were already mostly healed of their wounds. The once bright sandstone walls, although still riddled with scorch and pock marks where the Dhrakan bombs had spent their wrath, were patrolled by dedicated troops eager to defend against any unwanted raids. The biggest change in the city’s visage, however, had been made to the central tower. Formerly the city’s glimmering pinnacle, the Tor’s severed column now virtually disappeared against the blanket of clouds, while the wing structures previously cradling the sky had shattered at its base when they fell, and were now solemnly being used to rebuild vital structures still suffering from damage.” (p. 4)

A serious problem is that Emperor Aidan was killed before revealing his long-range plans for Xayall’s eventual victory. The adolescent princess Faria, now “‘Empress’ (by itself an obsolete and criticised honorific)”, must create her orders for Xayall’s political and military rebuilding from her hospital bed, largely by guess.

With Faria and her loyal cyborg raccoon Tierenan hospitalized, and other supporting characters in Legacy busy offstage, Fracture features a new protagonist and cast at first. Bayer Kanjita, ocelot, and Kier, fox, are two young officers in Xayall’s hierarchy, the former guardians of Princess Faria and now her representatives from the hospital to Xayall’s government. Kier has just become a Counsellor of Xayall. The sovereign’s near destruction by Dhraka has made Xayall dependent on its allies for food and help rebuilding, mostly northern Andarn, the largest sovereign on the continent of Cadon (see the map):

“‘This is wrong,’ Bayer scowled. ‘We shouldn’t be dependent on them for help. We’ll be under their thumb soon. You can’t just sell us out to Andarn like this – they’ll never let go of the debt. Xayall needs to rebuild its strength from within.’

Kier stepped toward him, trying to keep covert. ‘I am not selling out. Our debt is a fate we and Andarn shared on the battlefield. We’re only alive because they defended us. At the very least Alaris [the representative of Andarn’s government to Xayall but hamstrung by Andarn’s feuding politics and Cadon’s continent-wide Senate] recognizes how close not just we, but all of Eeres, came to being destroyed. They’re not doing this to usurp our land or control us, they’re –’” (p. 26)

Captain Alaris Hiryu, pangolin, is the commander of the troops of Andarn assigned to help Xayall. The murder of an important Councillor of Andarn, at a time of tensions between Andarn and neighboring Tremaine, has resulted in Cadon’s Senate calling Alaris home. Bayer, who has grown tired of Xayall’s politics, offers to escort him to get out of Xayall for a few weeks. Captain Rowan Ibarruri (meerkat) of Tremaine’s army, a jovial friend of Alaris’, joins them. (The three ride reptilian mounts. “His [Bayer’s] steed, a tall, slim, dinosaur creature not unlike an ostrich, called an Anserisaur, reacted to his tension and would uneasily flick its head as they walked.” – p. 55.)

Bayer is shocked to find that Andarn’s politics are much more deadly than Xayall’s; and that Alaris, who he distrusted at first, may be one of the best foreign friends that Xayall has. When Rowan has to return to Tremaine, and Alaris looks to be in danger of being murdered, Bayer offers to continue escorting him on a mission that will take both of them out of Andarn to the occupied neighboring sovereign of Kyrryk to look for missing troops and supplies.

Fracture switches back and forth between what Bayer and Alaris find in Kyrryk, and unexpected dangers to Faria in Xayall. To give away one spoiler, there are villains who move about in the different uniforms of the sovereigns of Cadon, committing assassinations and other sabotage to cause the sovereigns to mistrust each other and destroy the continent’s Senate. The resonance power that saved Xayall from Dhaka in Legacy reappears dramatically in the last half of the novel:

“Defeated, [spoiler] turned to flee just as an arrow from [spoiler’s] bow shot through the air and pierced the back of his thigh. He collapsed to his knees with a yelp. A low boom echoed in the corridor, followed by a rush of air, and before anyone could tell what had happened, [spoiler] was holding his sword at [spoiler’s] neck, standing on the [spoiler’s] legs to prevent his escape. The [spoiler] growled fiercely.” (p. 177)

“Quickly the two went inside, moving past the heavy curtain that concealed the cave’s entrance. But far from being the cragged, tiny opening they were expecting, what met them past the threshold was more sinister than darkness.” (p. 189)

As with Legacy, Fracture (wraparound cover by Katie Hofgard) comes to a satisfactory conclusion; but without leaving any doubt that it is only Book 2 in the tetralogy. Book 3, Ruin’s Dawn, is next.

Fracture is enjoyable funny-animal melodrama. Jackson has some acknowledged unusual animals in his cast, such as Alaris the pangolin, who needs custom-made armour since pangolins are so rare. (Still, real pangolins aren’t nearly as large as the giant shown on Hofgard’s cover.) Jackson is still prone to adjectives and adverbs that imply sentience to objects and emotions: “bombs had spent their wrath”, “vital structures still suffering from damage”. He also likes really obsolete terminology. Besides calling nations sovereigns, there are “Slowly, unnoticed by the squabbling parties, he slid one of his bardiches from its ring on his belt.” (p. 31), and “He knelt beside her, his jinbaori rippling in the breeze.” (p. 149). But generally, meanings are clear enough from the context.

If you haven’t read Legacy, you’ll want to after reading Fracture; but this Book 2 does stand on its own nicely. It does come to a satisfactory ending – but wow! does it have a great grabber for Book 3!

–Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon

Once again, discoveries from the Long Beach Comic Con: A new weekly on-line comic. “Tales of Absurdity is the product of the strange and absurd thoughts of cartoonist Alex Hoffman.  Topics range from pop culture parody to the bizarre limits of the human imagination.  Sometimes they are funny.” And quite often they involve animals, funny and otherwise. Recently, Mr. Hoffman has released the first collection of Absurdity comics in a new trade paperback, The Dawn of Absurdity. “Watch the absurdity evolve over 100 strips with all the twists and turns, parodies and puns.” All of this and more can be found (and purchased) at Mr. Hoffman’s official Tales of Absurdity web site.

image c. 2016 by Alex Hoffman

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Do you favor toony or more realistic art styles? Or is your preference somewhere in between? This week, Levi teaches the realism-loving Pami why toony is best, while the fox takes a middle ground. Also, expect shout-outs for our favorite artists.

Metadata and Credits Furry Art Styles

Runtime: 28:34m

Cast: KZorroFuego, Levi, Pamiiruq

Editor: Levi

Format: 196kbps AAC Copyright: © 2016 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0.

Furry Art Styles - Do you favor toony or more realistic art styles? Or is your preference somewhere in between? This week, Levi teaches the realism-loving Pami why toony is best, while the fox takes a middle ground.

Do you favor toony or more realistic art styles? Or is your preference somewhere in between? This week, Levi teaches the realism-loving Pami why toony is best, while the fox takes a middle ground. Also, expect shout-outs for our favorite artists.

Metadata and Credits Furry Art Styles

Runtime: 28:34m

Cast: KZorroFuego, Levi, Pamiiruq

Editor: Levi

Format: 196kbps AAC Copyright: © 2016 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0.

Furry Art Styles - Do you favor toony or more realistic art styles? Or is your preference somewhere in between? This week, Levi teaches the realism-loving Pami why toony is best, while the fox takes a middle ground.

Guest post by Thurston Howl. Thurston is the editor-in-chief of Thurston Howl Publications. The author of several novels, short stories, and poems, he prides himself in the Ursa Major Award winning essay collection he edited, Furries Among Us. He received his BA in English at Vanderbilt University and his MA in English at Middle Tennessee State University. Aside from running a publishing house, he teaches English at a local college, plays piano, dances, and is actively training to be a coffee connoisseur.

The past several years, a growing trend has entered the furry publishing market: the anthology. While anthologies became a most popular form of literature, particularly in genre fiction in the mid-twentieth century, it wasn’t until the 1990s that the furry anthology became a popular form of furry literature (explicitly marketed to the furry community). By now, however, almost every furry publishing house has their own signature annual anthology. FurPlanet has its Bad Dog Books anthologies, FANG and ROAR (both having just published their seventh volume). SofaWolf has the mostly erotic collection, HEAT (now with thirteen volumes), and New Fables. Rabbit Valley Press publishes the annual Tales from the Guild, featuring writers from the Furry Writers Guild. Thurston Howl Publications recently started its series, SPECIES, in which each volume centers on a different furry species. Note that most, if not all, of these houses publish many other anthologies every year, with Altered States; Inhuman Acts; and Gods with Fur coming to mind immediately. These types of furry anthologies have been the recipients of many awards, including the Ursa Major Award and the Coyotl Award.

Perhaps, it is no wonder that the genre has reached such popularity. Anthologies, especially in the furry fandom, have a myriad of strengths:

1. They allow multiple authors a simultaneous chance at publication, drawing in a clientele for publishing houses.
2. They allow readers diversity when they buy the books.
3. They are easier ways for authors to build their writing credits; easier than a full-on novel contract.
4. They are much easier to market as fifteen authors are sharing with friends and family, rather than just one.
5. Having an annual anthology series builds a repeating fanbase, with fans who want Volume 2, Volume 3, etc.

Plus, the anthologies give incredibly unique flavor to the personas of each publishing house. Fred Patten has written numerous articles on the various differences between the houses, and many of these differences are reflected in their anthologies. While one favors sci fi and fantasy, another favors more erotic elements.

In essence, furry anthologies are great for the publishers, the writers, and the readers: a win-win-win scenario.

With the end of the year fast approaching and with the rise of new smaller houses, such as Thurston Howl Publications and Weasel Press, it is often a challenge for writers to either find the right calls-for-submissions (CFS) or keep up with the constant barrage of deadlines. Here is a link for a general schedule of CFS until the end of the year. This schedule provides all links to the submission guidelines as well as provides the same basic information listed below.

Below are some details for the upcoming anthologies:

Civilized Beasts – Poetry — October 1

• Publisher: Weasel Press
• Payment: Print copy
• Editors: Dwale and Munchkin
• Theme: This is a not-for-profit poetry anthology about animals with the following sub-theme in mind: “outside observation of animals, in the mind of animals, symbolism of animals.”

The Dogs of War — October 1

• Reprints allowed: no
• Word count: 4,000-20,000
• Editor: Fred Patten
• Payments $0.005/wd and print copy; future discount on print copies
• Publisher: FurPlanet
• Theme: “These can range from actual warfare to peacetime training-camp scenarios (which may be humorous) to recruiting; from large division operations to small commando actions. They can range from funny-animal multispecies armies to armies of one species versus another; from fighting in animal civilizations to uplifted animal soldiers fighting in human wars. The emphasis should be on military action, not politics; but as Clausewitz defined war as “the continuation of politics by other means”, a story may be heavily political as long as military action is at least threatened. Despite the title, which is a Shakespeare reference (to Julius Caesar), we want stories with a variety of anthropomorphic animals; not just dogs.”

Zoomorphic Anthology of Oceanic Life – Fiction and Nonfiction — October 10

• Multiple subs: no
• Word count: 500-3,000
• Publisher: Zoomorphic
• Theme: This will be ZOAC’s first printed anthology and centers around marine life.

Seven Deadly Sins: Furry Confessions — November 1

• Word count: 2,500-8,000
• Payment: Print copy
• Reprints: acceptable
• Multiple subs: up to three
• Editor: Thurston Howl
• Publisher: Thurston Howl Publications
• Theme: Seven Deadly Sins has been a literary trope for centuries, popularized by Italian poet Dante. They are as follows: pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy, and sloth. This collection will be divided respectively into the seven parts. We want to see anthro-animal characters at their darkest and weakest moments: at the whorehouse, at the chopping block, in the morgue, in the dining room with the candlestick. It is perfectly fine but not required if submissions are NSFW. We are honestly expecting a fair amount of horror—especially in Wrath—and erotica—especially in Lust. However, again, adult stories are by no means required for acceptance. All story submissions must be “furry” in nature.

Purrfect Tails — November 1

• Editor: Tarl Hoch
• Word count: 3,000-10,000
• Payment: $0.005/wd
• Simultaneous subs: no
• Multiple subs: yes
• Theme: Nekos: A neko is a female or male character with cat traits, such as cat ears, a cat tail, or other feline characteristics on an otherwise human body. These can range from just having the ears and tail, to having a light downy fur, slitted eyes, retractable claws, pointed teeth, etc. What we are NOT looking for is anthropomorphic feline characters. (ala: Furries) Neko girls and boys have been a staple in manga and anime for as long as those have been a thing. Ranging from saucy sex kittens to innocent pet characters, these nekos have been engaging readers, pulling them into fascinating stories of all types. This anthology is centered on engaging erotic stories that are about these feline beings. The story MUST have a neko character (boy or girl) who is either the main character or a major character. The neko character MUST be involved in the sex, and the sex has to be hot, explicit and needed to move the plot and story forward. The erotic content can be straight, bi, gay, or some combination thereof. The erotic content does not need to be vulgar or super graphic, but if that style fits the story then go for it. We are looking for erotica, not porn. Romance is welcome but not a requirement for the erotica. Ideally, we are looking for positive ending stories. This does not mean you cannot have a sad ending, just that there won’t be as many of those stories accepted into the anthology.

Equus — November 30

• Payment: $10.00; print copy
• Reprints: no
• Simultaneous subs: acceptable
• Multiple subs: no
• Word length: under 7,500
• Publisher: World Weaver Press
• Theme: “Horses are represented in mythology and folklore from Paleolithic right up to modern times. What is it about these magnificent creatures that fascinates us and captures our hearts? Is it their intelligence, their power, their beauty or something else that draw us to them? That is just one of the questions we’re going to explore in Equus. I will be looking for stories about every kind of horse from the earthly to the mythological and though I’ll be placing a special emphasis on horses, unicorns and Pegasus, every kind of magical equine is welcome (and really, aren’t they all magical?). Stories with a strong sense of place will have an advantage, as will those which explore the connection (for better or for worse) between equines and humans.”

The Symbol of a Nation — December 1

• Publisher: GOAL Publications
• Editor: Fred Patten
• Word count: 2,000-15,000
• Reprints: no
• Payments $0.01/wd; print copy
• Note: email editor before starting story
• Theme: “Furries that are the national animals of countries, such as Afghanistan’s snow leopard, Algeria’s fennec, Bangladesh’s tiger, Canada’s beaver, Denmark’s mute swan, Estonia’s barn swallow, France’s rooster (fighting cock), Gambia’s hyena, Honduras’ white-tailed deer, Italy’s wolf, the U.S.’s bald eagle … There are over 200 countries and most of them have a national animal or bird. For this anthology, we are extending the theme to the official animals of provinces and states. There are several animals such as the koala (Queensland) and platypus (New South Wales) of Australia, or the giant squirrel (Maharashtra) and red panda (Sikkim) of India, or the coyote (South Dakota) and raccoon (Tennessee) of North America that are not national animals, but are the official animals of provinces or states. But: this is limited to the officially adopted animals (including birds) of national or sub-national entities only. No sports team mascots, corporate mascots like the NBC peacock, political party mascots, or breakfast cereal mascots. No fictional official animals or countries like Transylvania and vampire bats. However, some countries have both a national animal and a national bird, such as Chile – its animal is the huemal, an Andean deer, and its bird is the Andean condor. We will accept stories featuring either or both. Please make sure that they are official. There are many animals that are often associated with countries, such as the eagle & snake on the Mexican flag, or Mexico’s Chihuahua, but they are not official animals. (Mexico’s official animal is the xoloitzcuintli. Don’t know what that is? Look it up.) If you would like to submit a story, write to the managing editor (Fred Patten) first to find out if that animal or country is already claimed. If you would like to use an animal or country but don’t know what to pair it with, ask the editor or look it up. Stories sent to the editor without checking first may be wasted effort. The rules are more complex than for most furry anthologies. (1) There must be a connection between the animal and the country. If you feature a tapir, the national animal of Belize, make sure that there is something about Belize in the story. (2) No funny animal stories where the characters could just as easily be humans. Make your characters feel like uplifted or evolved animals. Most animals with fur don’t sweat. (3) Try to match the animals to their environments. If they have thick fur, don’t have them wearing thick clothing in humid tropical lands. (Or justify the discrepancy.) Stories may be humorous or serious. There may be humans in the story as secondary characters, but the main character(s) should be furry.”

If you are considering submitting to any anthology, always remember to look closely at the guidelines to make sure you send the proper file format to the right editor. Hell hath no fury like an editor’s scorn at seeing their pet peeves. If ever you have questions / concerns, you can generally feel free to email an editor to seek advice on a particular concern. Plus, seeing your willingness to open a line of communication only speaks praise of your ability to communicate effectively if they do accept your work.

Ah, the joys of nerdy people playing mix-and-match with their favorite media. Such is the origin of Godzilactus, a new animation project created by the team of Bryce Abood (a writer and musician) and Jeff Fuller (an artist), collectively known as Sick Bird. In essence, the mighty Godzilla discovers the helmet of Galactus while venturing through space… and he returns to Earth in search of the only thing which can fill his ravenous hunger: Hip hop beats!  Unfortunately, the ultimate beat was stolen by a robot known as Ernest Cyborg-Nine, and now Godzilactus will destroy whole cities and even whole planets in his quest to get his beat back! Any of this making any sense? No? Good. It’s all good fun created as a throw-back to the Marvel Comics motion-comics of the late 1960’s, with a lot of other fannish references tossed in. The Sick Bird guys got a lot of help from some animations veterans who worked on shows like SeaLab 2021, Saturday Night Live, and Metalocalypse. Check out the first short over on YouTube, and be prepared for more! The beat has only begun…

image c. 2016 Sick Bird

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Hello Everyone!

We open this week's show with a discussion on how BDSM participants might have the right idea in combatting victim shaming and defeating rape culture. Turns out, we're not heartless monsters!

Our main topic is a six panel question show! We go through six of our listener questions and address them at length! With this, hopefully our backlog will stop being a scary, terrifying thing.

We address questions ranging from fitting into the fandom to finding a mate when you're a 30 year old virgin. There's even some Wet and Messy inquiries as well- we help clean up the mess of confusion and will hopefully shed some light on these topics.

We close with some feedback on silicone toys and how to care for them.

For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 038 All Questions Show Vol. 1 - Is BDSM contributing to rape culture? How many questions can your hosts answer in a 90 minute show? Will Metriko screw up the introduction again this week? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!

Eric Risher (Pawsome! #22)
The creator of "Furries: A Documentary", Eric Risher, is interviewed on his fandom background and film inspiration. ***NEW EPISODES BIWEEKLY ON WEDNESDAYS*** THANKS FOR SUBSCRIBING!!! FACEBOOK:... From: The Raccoon's Den Views: 1297 14 ratings Time: 14:24 More in Entertainment

Howdy Fluffer Nutters. Hope life is treating you well. Did you like Zootopia? Of course not. You loved it! I bet you have the blu-ray and have watched it ten times over one weekend. I feel Animation is the true place anthro animals thrive. Whenever my mind reads a Furry story it paints it like a cartoon. It’s possible to do it in live action, but unless you have an amazing make up team, it rarely works as well. Although since animation is so time consuming it’s not something you find too often.  But when you find ones that do it well, it can be so much fun.

So that’s why we have this. A combination of five Furry (whether they want to be call that or not) Animation Shorts that I wish to share with you guys.  You may already be familiar with them, or seeing them for the first time. The only thing they have in common is they are all awesome. So lets begin.

A Fox In Space

I’m sure most of you have already seen this, but I cannot stress how amazing this animated series is even though it only has one episode. Created by Matthew Gafford, he has taken the basics of Star Fox and mixed it with a combination of late 70’s/ early 80’s animation of Fantastic Planet, Heavy Metal, and Filmation cartoons. I can’t wait to see what they have planned for the series down the line, but I’m positive it will be amazing.

Thatch & Dial

Another show that just debuted, this one doesn’t have much animation. In fact, it’s all still images, but what it has is great voice talent, music, and a tale about the power of music. It’s still kinda hard to know where the series will go – it just focuses on how our two heroes, Thatch and Dial, come together – but it plays out like a classic fantasy story. Check it out for yourself and let me know what you think.

Homo sexual?

I think that’s the title, but I have no idea. This is a completely Japanese production with no subtitles, but you can gain enough with what the story is just by the actions that happen within it. If anyone knows what they’re saying, please caption this. It wouldn’t hurt to know what a bunch of feudal furry firefighters are saying, but it’s still a touching story and yes, by the name of the title, there is some homo content. Nothing graphic, but… oh just watch for yourself. It’s anime furries. You’ll love it.

Kiwi

I’m not going to say anything. This was a thesis short, an old school YouTube video, and if you’ve never seen it then I just have one word: tissues.

Dogtor

I’m going to end this with a sweet look at three friends wondering if they made the right choices in their life, that happen to be about dogs. It’s another college film, but one that I’m sure will speak to many whom sometime wonder if they have made the right choice.

And there you go. I hope you enjoyed. I might do another one of these if I find more worth sharing. If you know any, then leave a comment below. Art should be shared as much as possible. You never know what will speak to you. Till then Fluffer Nutters. Remember to stay awesome, stay amazing, stay you.

-Matthias